Boulevard of Broken Dreams (1934)

I just ran into the original version of Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and it’s fantastic in so many ways I can hardly begin to tell you. Yes, it has it all – Constance Bennett’s dress, her hat, the delicious French accent, and the future superstar Lucille Ball as one of the choir girls.

But on top of that, the song is presented in such a scrumptious way – many ways in fact – that although just about everyone has sung it since, it has never been quite this plush since its first appearance in Moulin Rouge (1934). This is a great way to use music in cinema – to weave the entire flashback sequence into the song and vice versa. It’s also a reminder that a great song will be a great song no matter in what manner and on what instruments it might be played – on one guitar, an entire symphony orchestra, as a waltz or a tango.

I do have album-related news too: I just approved the final artwork proofs, which means that the production is starting very soon indeed!

– Laura

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2 Comments

December 4, 2012 · 3:08 pm

2 responses to “Boulevard of Broken Dreams (1934)

  1. Stephen

    Yes, this is the original. Covered in 1956 by Tony Bennett and more recently by Diana Krall and Amy Winehouse. I’d like to obtain the lyrics in French but cannot find. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

  2. I’d love to be able to help you, but I have never heard a French translation of the song (I know a Finnish one, but that’s not very helpful), and it seems that Green Day has made a very popular song of the same name which makes this gem quite infuriating to search online. French friends, aidez-nous!